Conundrums in community-acquired pneumonia

Charles, Patrick G P; Johnson, Paul D R; Grayson, M Lindsay

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00496.x

Topics

Clinically useful CAP management guidelines are still elusive

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) continues to generate controversy. Although CAP is common and generally mild, it can be life-threatening. For the treating clinician there are many questions. How much effort should be directed to establishing the aetiology, given that the responsible pathogen is infrequently diagnosed? Should the patient be managed in hospital or at home? Should one choose older, established antibiotics that work most of the time or broad-spectrum therapy that treats all imaginable pathogens but is probably unnecessary, has a less established safety record and is likely to contribute to increased cost of treatment and the emergence of resistance?

1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC.
2 Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC.
3 Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC.

Correspondence: patrick.charles@austin.org.au

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